"We put (the bumper pads) in the crib because we were excited parents, and we thought it was so cute. Then (my husband and I) thought, 'We need to get these out of here,'" Kotsis said.

According to state health officials, Kotsis did the right thing by eliminating the "suffocation hazards."

The ban, if approved, would take effect Jan. 1, 2013, and would exclude the sale of bumper pads for older children or for those who have special needs.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it's in the process of taking a look at the safety of crib bumpers and expects to share its findings with a panel of experts, said agency spokesman Scott Wolfson.

The Maryland recommendation follows the advice of a four-member task force, which said in May that crib bumper pads can suffocate or strangle babies.

"Our priority is the health of infants in Maryland," state Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein said in a written statement.

Bumper pad makers said the cushions that line a crib keep babies from hitting their heads, but task force members argued that research shows most babies can't exert enough force to hurt themselves and bumpers do more harm than good.

"You don't have to have the bumper on top of the child. It's restrictive enough," said Dr. David Fowler, Maryland chief medical examiner.

Experts said they can't justify keeping a product on the market that can gravely endanger a child, especially when they can't find any clear benefits to justify the risk.

The recommendation now goes to the state's health secretary, who will decide whether to issue a regulation that could ban their sale in the state.

Maryland's proposal is the nation's first by a state. Earlier this month, the Chicago City Council banned the sale of crib bumper pads.

The bumpers are intended for only the smallest infants and only until a baby starts to pull up to stand, Sharfstein said.

"We found that these products do pose a rare but real risk of serious injury to a small infant. Regarding the benefits, we closely reviewed the data the manufacturers had to offer, but none of our experts were persuaded of any significant benefits of crib bumpers, and neither were we," Sharfstein said.

The proposed ban doesn't distinguish between mesh and traditional bumpers, and health officials said the safest way to put babies to sleep is on their backs in an empty crib.